


What We Dream Of

by 51stcenturygirl



Series: My future is our future and I will spend it with you [4]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Barn Sex, Dancing, Dancing in secret, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Hide and Seek, M/M, Romance, Tango, Telephone Calls, Weddings, as close to a wedding as possible, church kisses, springtime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:34:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28820058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/51stcenturygirl/pseuds/51stcenturygirl
Summary: Andy and Daisy are getting married. Thomas is pleased when Richard is invited.
Relationships: Daisy Mason/Andy Parker, Thomas Barrow/Richard Ellis
Series: My future is our future and I will spend it with you [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2077305
Comments: 10
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

Thomas pulled off his jacket and placed it over the back of his chair, before sitting down at his desk. It was warm, spring finally making itself felt. Even though it was only mid-morning, it was already quite warm. Months of being cold all the time, meant that when it was suddenly a lot warmer, it was too warm. He needed to get used to it before he could enjoy it. He had however, just come back from a quick trip down to the post office, to post his latest letter to Richard. Of course he could have sent someone else to do that, but he liked to post them himself. It felt more personal that way. He flicked through his diary. Each date marked down with several tasks that will need his attention, although his mind wasn't in the right mood for any of that right now. It had been almost four months since he had last seen Richard in person, back at the beginning of the year when he had stayed over at Downton for the New Year celebrations. Almost four months since Thomas had what was probably the most romantic moment in his life, kissing Richard while the fireworks, bringing in January 1st, went off above them, snow from the day before lying on the ground, glittering in the light from the fireworks, and the stars above them. It was like something out of a movie, Thomas thought.  _ Damn, I'm getting soft, _ he said to himself, smiling at the memory of that moment. These happy thoughts were a welcome change though. The house had been rather downcast, as the Dowager Countess passed away a few weeks ago casting the family and staff into mourning. Thomas didn't feel particularly hurt by her death, he couldn't honestly say he was fond of her, but he felt bad for not feeling sad, which was a new and confusing feeling for him as there was once a time he wouldn’t have cared. Things were starting to cheer up downstairs at least though. Andy and Daisy were starting preparations for their upcoming wedding. They would have started sooner, but it felt inappropriate with the house in mourning, to be planning a wedding so soon. Thomas was happy for them, but couldn't shake the feeling of jealousy at the back of his mind. Quite simply, he wanted what they were able to have. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Good morning Mr Barrow," Andy said, as he closed the door behind him. "I was wondering if I could have a word?"

"Yes, of course. Sit down," Thomas answered, "How are the wedding preparations going?"

"Very well I think, Daisy seems to have most things in hand. But a few things have to be left to me, and that's kind of why I am here," Andy said, looking a little nervous. "Well, um. You see... I was wondering if I could ask you to be my best man at our wedding?"

Thomas didn't say anything. "What?" he said, a little in shock.

"I was wondering if-" Andy began to repeat the question.

"No no, I heard you. I just-" Thomas was not sure how to go on, he suddenly felt rather insecure. "Are you sure you want  _ me _ to be your best man? Wouldn't someone else be a better choice?"

Andy hoped he had interpreted correctly what he thought Thomas was trying to get at. "Thomas," he said, dropping the formalities of calling him by his surname for a moment, "Daisy and I both think you make the perfect choice. You are the butler here and you are respected by all of us. I have known you for a long time, Daisy even longer. And don't think for a moment that your um,  _ nature _ casts any problem over this decision. I'll admit I wasn't comfortable with men like you at first, but that was only out of ignorance, and I think I am beginning to understand a bit more now. I know you are a good person, Thomas, so who you prefer is not an issue for Daisy or myself. You have shown me more kindness than I would have expected to get, helping me out over several occasions. I mean, if it wasn't for you Thomas I wouldn't be able to write my own wedding invitations!" Thomas was rather taken back by this openness from Andy, and touched by it too. He wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to people saying nice things about him, he'd always expected the opposite. He also appreciated Andy's honesty. "Of course, you don't have to decide on your answer now. Think it over for a few days if you want," Andy said, after Thomas had said nothing once again. For a man who always seemed to have the perfect comeback for any situation, it was quite unusual to see Thomas so speechless.

"No- I don't need time. I'm sorry, was a little surprised by it all you see. I’ll be your best man Andy," Thomas said quickly, as Andy got up to leave.

"Thank you Thomas," Andy said with a beaming smile on his face, which changed to a nervous frown before he continued to speak. "There was one other thing. It was Daisy's idea."

Thomas looked worried again. His emotions seemed to reflect Andy's at the moment. "Yes?"

"Well, as we were going through who to invite to our wedding, we were thinking about how Mr and Mrs Bates will have each other, Mrs Hughes will be with Mr Carson and Miss Baxter will probably go with Mr Moseley, so we thought maybe we'd invite Mr Ellis to come with you?"

Thomas really didn't know what to say to that. This was not the type of conversation that he was good at. It was way too personal and his head was spinning. Andy and Daisy were inviting Richard to their wedding so that he could be with him, as his other half,  _ which he was of course, but not in public,  _ Thomas thought. It might be too much of a risk, they would be amongst people who don't know about them,and who probably won't care to know either. He knew they would have to appear only as good friends at the most- nothing more than that. But that was no different than normal. So maybe it could work. The thing is they don't get to spend much time in each other's company, they have to grab every opportunity and this is one of them. "That's really kind of you to consider inviting him. The only thing is, if people ask who he is to you two, what could you say?"

"We thought of that," Andy said, "Since he has been at Downton several times, and we know him now, we could easily just say he is a friend of Downton, and therefore of us. I don't think anyone will be too bothered, but even if they were, I doubt they'd question that."

"Well I'll ask him when I next speak to him Andy. I will say though, he's not too keen on weddings. But I promise I'll ask," Thomas said, satisfied at Andy's response.

"That will be great, I'll tell Daisy of your decision too," Andy said, as he left the room.

...

Later on in the day, Andy walked into the kitchen, glad to find that Daisy was alone so that they could talk. "I asked Thomas, about both things," Andy said, pinching a bit of pastry off the table. "He said yes to being my best man, though I think I gave him a bit of a shock."

"And about Mr Ellis?" Daisy asked.

"He said that he will ask him, although apparently he isn't keen on weddings."

"I suppose that's understandable." Daisy said, seeing Andy's expression, that indicated he was waiting for her to say more. "Well think about it. If a law was introduced that said that it was illegal for you to marry me or love me, and then you had to go to someone else's wedding and sit through it watching two other people happy together in public, it would be pretty painful."

"Never thought about that," Andy said. "I hope we did the right thing inviting him."

"I reckon we did. Thomas will get to spend some time with him at least. And he won't be on his own." Daisy paused for a moment, "It isn't right though. If I were in charge of the country then I would get rid of that law, make it more equal."

"I know you would, and that is why I love you," Andy said, quickly planting a kiss on her cheek, before getting out the room before Mrs Patmore came in, after hearing her footsteps approaching.


	2. 2

Thomas was sitting at his desk, looking at the telephone on his desk. It was later in the evening, the sun had just set and this was the time that he and Richard usually spoke on the telephone. They agreed that it would be a good thing to have a specific time that they would call each other so that they could make sure the chances that someone else would pick up the phone, would be lower. Thomas had to admit how it was a shock that Andy would ask him to be his best man, and that Daisy was happy with this decision. He was not the kindest to her years and years ago, he didn't really know why he led her on when she had fancied him or why he had been cruel to William either. They didn’t deserve it. He reckoned he was just angry or maybe jealous that everyone liked them both. So it truly warmed his heart to know that she thinks a lot higher of him now. Then there was what Andy had said about how he was beginning to understand him and his preferences. That was all he could ask for at the end of the day; understanding. He wasn't too surprised about Daisy suggesting that Richard should come to the wedding. Daisy had always been very liberal, and proud of it. Plus she was a bit of a romantic, Thomas thought, though he'd bet that she'd never admit to that. He did have a few doubts about how smart it was to invite Richard to spend time with him out in public away from the relative safety of Downton. They would both have to be very careful, more than usual, not to give away their feelings for each other. Richard was a lot better at this than he was. Thomas could hide what he feels about the majority of things very well, but when it came to Richard, just the thought of him would make Thomas smile or blush.  _ He is so infuriating sometimes,  _ Thomas thought, a smile reaching his face, demonstrating his last thought. But the thing is, he couldn't let that get in the way of having a perfectly good reason to have Richard around for a few days. He hoped that Richard would want to come to the wedding though. He understood Richard's dislikes for weddings in general perfectly. He did too, and probably for the same reasons. He had been to countless weddings over his life at Downton. He experienced it the same way each time. He would copy the happy and content smiles of those around him sitting in the church, make the occasional small talk about trivial things, and put up with the sermons about the sanctity of marriage and other things that basically didn't include him. He felt awkward going to wedding receptions afterwards, he usually slipped out before the end, no one ever asked where he had been and he reckoned no one noticed he had gone. He was happy for Andy and Daisy of course, they seemed made for each other. He hoped that Richard being next to him would help him enjoy a wedding more than he usually would. He hoped that Richard would also have a happier time than usual, spending it with him. Thomas picked up the phone and called the palace, waiting to be connected seemed to take a lot longer than usual. "Hello, Richard Ellis speaking,"

"Richard, good to hear your voice. I've missed it," Thomas said after Richard answered the phone. "Are you alone?"

"Thomas! You know you read my mind. I was thinking of calling you, and yes I am."

"How are you? Missing me?"

"I am desperate to get away from here for a few days at least. Breath in some of that clean Yorkshire air, whilst in your charming company. You know that I miss you from the moment we part each time Thomas."

Thomas closed his eyes a moment, Richard sounded so close despite there being hundreds of miles between them. "I may have a solution to that. I hope it can work out," Thomas said, feeling nervous.

"I'm all ears Mr Barrow," Richard said. Thomas could imagine him smirking, whilst saying that.

"Well, Andy and Daisy are getting married in a few months and Andy has asked me to be his best man-"

"Oh goodness! Thomas that's wonderful news. I hope you said you would," Richard said interrupting Thomas.

"I did yes. But that is not the main reason I'm calling you. You see they asked me if I'd like to invite you. That is, they extend the invitation to you, Richard. Now I know that you don't go much for weddings. I don't either as you well know, so if you don't want to come then its fine, I understand and I'm sure that they will too-"

"Thomas. Stop talking for a moment please," Richard said, cutting Thomas off again.

"Sorry, I'm a little nervous about asking you this. Don't know why exactly," Thomas said.

"It's fine. I just wanted to get the chance to answer you."

"I don't think I've actually asked you anything yet Richard," Thomas said.

Richard laughed, "Okay then. I'll let you ask."

Thomas took a deep breath before continuing, "Would you like to come to their wedding as my guest, my companion?"

"I'd love to. You are right about my opinions on wedding ceremonies, but I can't turn down being with you can I?"

"No I don't suppose you can," Thomas replied cheekily.

"I wonder if my skills as a valet will come in handy at all?" Richard asked.

"I don't think Andy will want anyone dressing him, even for his wedding," Thomas replied.

"Oh I wasn't thinking about the groom, Thomas. I was thinking maybe the best man may need my assistance dressing for the occasion," Richard said in a lower tone, "Perhaps also, he will need me to undress him too. What do you think?"

Thomas loved it when Richard flirted with him down the telephone, "I think he might just need you for that yes. Though the best man has some experience as a valet too. Do you reckon, you will need his assistance too? Maybe at night?" Thomas said, playing along.

"I think I may need that, yes. Especially in the dark. I think we have a perfect arrangement here Mr Barrow," Richard said.

Thomas could have gone on for a lot longer, playing this game with Richard. They sometimes talked this way thought their letters, but it was so much more enjoyable over the phone. However, a noise from outside the room jumped him out of this frame of mind. "I think we should save these conversations until your visit Richard."

"Hmm, I suppose you are right Thomas. I'll see about getting some time off for this. I'm assuming you know the date?"

"Yes, a few months from now. May 20th, a Saturday. Though you could stay over here for a few nights I hope?"

"I doubt they will stop me from going to a wedding. I'll see what I can do," Richard said.

"Brilliant! I'll tell you all the details in my next letter." Thomas said.

"Perfect. Well I will speak to you soon. Goodnight Thomas, I love you"

"Goodnight Richard, love you too." Thomas said, as they ended the call.


	3. 3

**A few months later, 2 days before the wedding...**

It was only nine in the morning, but Thomas had already decided that any work that required his attention could wait a few hours. Mr Carson would call this slacking, laziness, disloyalty to Downton or whatever. But Thomas had been working pretty much since 6am and he wanted a break. Was it really such a crime to have a little time to yourself every so often? Especially when most of the time he never had a moment to even think. And on a day like this, mid-May, the beginning of summer when the sun had already been up for around four hours, it was too good to miss. So he had found himself wondering down the main driveway, after telling Mrs Hughes he was gonna be busy for the next few hours 'running an errand or two'.  _ Skiving off work- old habits die hard,  _ he thought to himself, smiling as he stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets. He found a nice spot in the dappled shade of a tree, not too far from the main gates. The grass was still a little damp from the morning dew so he took off his jacket and sat on that, his back leaning up against the base of the tree. Relaxing and getting comfortable, he loosened his tie, and undid a few buttons of his shirt, meaning if anyone saw him now, they would not expect him to be Downton's butler. He knew it was not by accident that he found himself here. From where he was sitting he would be able to see Richard arrive perfectly. He wasn't due to arrive at Downton until after lunch so didn't expect to see him during the next few hours, but the thought was nice. It was very peaceful where he was sitting, not doing anything particular, just taking in the surroundings. The smell of fresh grass, lightly scented by the morning dew on the lawns, the pollen from the shrubs and neatly cut hedges of one of the many ornamental garden mazes, the crisp blue sky that went of for thousands of miles above him, the cooing of two courting pigeons in the tree opposite him.  _ This was rather pleasant,  _ Thomas thought.  _ Perhaps if I was born into the upper class, I would do this every morning.  _ In fact it was so pleasant, that he soon found himself shutting his eyes and dozing off with the gentle breeze coming through the leaves above him brushing his cheek, like a gentle kiss...

Thomas was vaguely aware of the sound of footsteps coming towards him, crunching on the gravel driveway, before going more silent as they hit the grass. "Wow Thomas I didn't expect to find you here, you look very dashing all relaxed like that," Richard had waited a moment before saying anything, giving him a chance to take in the sight before him. Thomas, who like any butler was always impeccably dressed, was sitting down lazily leaning up against a tree trunk, eyes closed, tie lying undone and loose around his neck, a few of the buttons on his shirt undone, hair a little ruffled by the gentle breeze. He really was a sight to behold.

Thomas' eyes flew open at the sound of his voice, "Richard! What are you doing here?" Thomas said, getting up and immediately, without a thought of who might be watching, pulled Richard into a hug, his excuse in his mind for his carelessness being it had been over six months since he last saw him. "You're early! I wasn't expecting you for a few hours yet."

"My train that I originally planned on getting was cancelled, I had a choice of an earlier one or one later in the afternoon. I didn't want to arrive late and miss out on any time with you, so here I am." Richard stood back from Thomas, "What are you doing out here anyway? I would have thought you would have been busy at this time in the morning."

"I had been stuck inside for several hours on end. I needed to get out for a while. I'm supposed to be running a few errands in the village, that's what I told Mrs Hughes I was doing anyway."

Richard raised an eyebrow, "Were you waiting here for me?"

"No! I mean- maybe" Thomas sighed, "Yes."

"And you fell asleep?" 

Thomas looked bashful, "I may have shut my eyes for a while."

Richard laughed softly, "You're adorable Thomas. Dream about anything good?"

Thomas did, but he wasn't sure if he should tell him. "I did actually. Though I'm afraid it was all a lot of wishful thinking." Thomas picked up his jacket and the two of them walked slowly off towards the hedges that marked out the maze on the other side of the lawn. "I dreamt that the wedding in a few days wasn't Andy and Daisy's. That it was ours." They stopped in the dappled shade of the hedge, just inside the entrance of the maze. Richard didn't know what to say,  _ what exactly was Thomas saying?, _ he thought. The hedge was lower in height than the two of them, so he sat down on the ground, placing his case next to him and then offering a hand to Thomas, pulling him down next to him. "You must think me silly," Thomas said, sitting down next to Richard, but not making eye contact with him. "Totally unrealistic thoughts that will never have any chance of actually happening."

"But you thought them," Richard said, taking Thomas' hand.

"I did."

"If they were silly thoughts, then I am silly as well." Richard said. Thomas looked at Richard at that sentence. "Something happened one evening a few months ago that made me realise something that to be honest, is rather obvious. That there can never be anyone else- only you." Thomas blinked rapidly, looked down then looked back at Richard again. "I was in a bar in London a few months ago, and this man came and sat next to me." A flash of jealousy crossed over Thomas' face. "Don't get mad, Thomas. Nothing happened I promise you. I have to talk about him as he's part of the story. He offered to buy me a drink, he was flirting with me like there was no tomorrow. He asked me if I wanted to go somewhere with him for the evening and when I said no and that I wasn't interested, he got offended and angrily asked me why I was in this type of bar if I wasn't interested. I told him that I was the correct type of man to be at a place like this, but that I didn't want to go with him, or any other man, because I was spoken for. I was merely there for some like minded company. He calmed down a bit after that and joked that you must be a very special person for me to turn down his charms. The man was ridiculously full of himself." Richard rolled his eyes as he said that last sentence. "There were all these good looking and eager men in the same room as me and I didn't want any of them. Because none of them were you Thomas, and no one else will do. And at the end of the day, isn't marriage a promise that there will never be anyone else?"

Thomas was doing all he could to stop his heart from beating so hard that it might burst out of his chest. He could think of no words to say other than to kiss Richard with more passion and meaning than he had ever done before. After they broke apart for air Thomas said, "You really mean that?"

"Of course. I choose you. It's why this relationship of ours has worked, despite the distance and the troubles. This is meant. I know it." Richard said, pulling Thomas down towards him. They couldn't let each other go, so they wouldn't make it back to Downton for a while yet.


	4. 4

It was indeed a couple of hours until they made it back to Downton and Thomas reckoned no one would fall for the excuse that he was only busy running a few errands since now it was approaching midday. He was enjoying the fact that he didn't need to worry too much about what they might think he was doing. It wasn't a complete lie, as he and Richard had been very 'busy' for those few hours where they both lost time in the gardens, and he had come back to Downton with more than he had left with in the morning, albeit a dashingly handsome man instead of more ordinary things one would normally fetch from the village. "Why do I have the feeling of hoping to sneak in unnoticed, when I am the one in charge here?" Thomas said to Richard as they approached the back yard.

"Well who are you hoping to avoid?"

"Mrs Hughes. Honestly, it's like she's my mother or something. We may be the two top staff here, but I still fear displeasing her, because of my excuse for a few hours to myself, and with you. Its stupid." Thomas said.

"I think it's rather lovely that you feel that way, I bet she would too," Richard said before adding, "We could try and sneak in, you could try and smuggle me upstairs and then I can appear when I was supposed to arrive later in the afternoon?" Thomas laughed at that thought, and the look on Richard's face when he suggested it. Thomas could imagine he would enjoy playing that game.

"Richard, we are not fifteen years old anymore," Thomas said, after rolling his eyes at Richard's suggestion. "I am not hiding you."

"Shame it would be fun to try sometime," Richard said as the two men walked inside. Thomas rolled his eyes again, this time when Richard couldn't see him.  _ Why did everything Richard say sound so tempting, even when it was such a silly child-like suggestion? _ Thomas thought.

"Oh hello Mr Ellis, didn't expect to see you here so soon," Mrs Hughes said, no more than one minute after they had walked inside and shut the door.

"Hello, Mrs Hughes. Yes, I hope it isn't an inconvenience but I had to get an earlier train. I bumped into your butler in the grounds on the way up here." Richard smiled at Thomas, when he said those last few words.  _ Technically not a lie,  _ Thomas thought.

"Well I am in need of a few extra pairs of hands, this afternoon. The barn down at Mr Mason's farm is in the process of being decorated for the wedding reception and we will be moving some tables and chairs down from here, which his lordship has kindly allowed us to borrow for the occasion," Mrs Hughes said. Thomas had noticed that she had seemed to have taken on the role of wedding planner, and was enjoying the role greatly.

"That should be no problem Mrs Hughes, I would be glad to help," Richard said.

"I think we should be ready to go down there in a few minutes," Thomas said. "I will just show Richard upstairs."

"Thanks both of you. You shouldn't need to walk down, you could probably get a lift down with the cart taking the tables soon." Mrs Hughes said, before disappearing into the kitchen, carrying a clipboard carrying, with what Thomas assumed was a well organised list.

...

Richard didn't need Thomas to show him to his room as he knew the way from the last few times, but was perfectly happy to indulge Thomas on this occasion. Richard put his case down on the chair near the wall as he and Thomas entered the room. Thomas closed the door behind him waited a few seconds for Richard to turn and face him before enthusiastically pushing Richard back against the closed door with a thud and giving him a heated kiss on the lips, with Richard wasted no time in returning, his hand around the back of Thomas' neck, pulling him in closer. Thomas took his hand away from pressing on the door behind Richard's head, allowing himself to push his body closer to him. They broke apart after a minute of so, though it seemed a lot longer than that, both of them panting and feeling the rise of temperature in the room. Richard laughed with the pleasure of it all, "What we did earlier in the morning in Lord Grantham's gardens not enough for you?"

"What can I say? I am greedy, I want more of you. Now," Thomas said, kissing Richard again, enjoying the taste of his lips and mouth again. Richard couldn't argue with that.

"You can have all of me later tonight," Richard whispered between deep and quickening breaths, his forehead touching Thomas', their chests briefly touching with each breath they both took. "We don't have much time now, they are expecting us downstairs any moment."

"Damn, I wish I had the hindsight to say that you would need time to rest from your journey before we head down to the farm to help," Thomas said. At that moment the door that they both were pinning up against, tried to open from outside the room. They must have been so engaged in each other that they didn't hear the knock.

"Mr Ellis, Mr Barrow, are you ready to come down to the farm now?" a voice said from behind the door that belonged to Mrs Hughes.

Thomas quickly composed his breathing the best he could before answering her, "Yes, we will be down now," he said, aware he still sounded a bit out of breath.

"We will pick this up later on,"Richard said.

"My thoughts exactly Richard," Thomas said, giving him another quick kiss before they both left the room and headed downstairs and outside.


	5. 5

Thomas and Richard, along with a stack load of tables, were loaded into the back of a cart to be taken down to the barn at Mr Mason's farm, in the early afternoon. It was not the most comfortable way to travel, the two of them squeezed in wherever they could, between the stack of upturned tables, Thomas trying to get used to the feel of a table leg poking the middle of his back, but it wasn't a long journey thankfully and the sun was still shining. They decided to leave their hats and coats at Downton, not thinking that they would need them due to the combination of the early summer heat and the physical work of moving tables around a barn, leaving both of them in trousers, shirtsleeves and braces, though Thomas still had his waistcoat from his uniform on. Both silently agreed to themselves, that they preferred the look of their other half, this way.

On arrival at the farm, Daisy came out from around the corner of the house to greet them. She had been down there all morning helping make food for the wedding reception. Mrs Patmore was coming down later to help, but she had the family at Downton to cook for too, so Daisy had spent quite a successful morning cooking, she had even taught Mr Mason a few new recipes in the process. "Hello Mr Barrow, thanks for your help, you must be very busy with all the usual stuff you need to do," Daisy said. Thomas was painfully aware that after the wedding he would most likely not stop working for days catching up on things he had decided to put on hold for the time being. "Oh hello Mr Ellis, I thought you were coming later on?"

"Yes well, circumstances meant that I was here a lot earlier than planned. Since Thomas is helping you, I thought he could do with an extra pair of hands," Richard said as Thomas and him simultaneously jumped down from the cart, synchronized as though it were a dance.

"That will be great thanks," Daisy replied.

"I was thinking," Thomas began, "Since its just us we could drop the formalities of the surnames for the afternoon, afterall you know Richard well enough now."

"That would be nice, part of me thinks it's a bit silly calling you Mr Barrow when I used to call you Thomas," Daisy said.

"But not back at Downton, I am the butler afterall, I've got to maintain some sort of order," Thomas said, with a wink towards Richard, as he turned and followed Daisy in the direction of the barn.

...

"Most things have been cleared out or moved to the side," Daisy said, as the three of them walked into the barn, the smell of mustiness and hay hitting them as they entered. It was not an unwelcome smell, but sort of homely and comforting in a strange way. "There are a few hay bales still lying around, but I thought they could be left for people to sit on if they wanted."

"Yes that's a good idea," Thomas said.

"We could arrange them so that they are around the edges of the room, can't have it getting in the way of any dancing can we?" Richard said.

"I'll leave you two to it then. I'll bring some drinks out later," Daisy said, before leaving.

"Of all the things I expected to be doing whilst coming to see you, this would be one of the most unexpected. The two of us alone in a barn, with a hayloft," Richard said in a low voice, which combined with the way he was leaning up against a pile of hay bales and with his hair still ruffled from their kisses earlier on, made him look dangerously irresistible to Thomas. "Anything could happen."

Thomas took a deep breath and tried to remain composed, which was becoming more difficult by the second. "We have work to do Richard."

"You've changed your tune. Only an hour ago, were you practically begging me to agree with you that we should back out of helping in order to be with me, in all things."

"Well, I am trying to remain ever so slightly professional. But you are making it very hard to do so," Thomas said, trying not to smile.

"We should add this to a list of possible locations for future 'meetings'," Richard said. "I do like embracing the countryside on my visits."

"A wheat field not enough of a countryside experience for you?" Thomas said, thinking back to their first time together under the moon.

"We should add that to the list again too," Richard said.

"And we should change the topic of conversation, before I give in to you and drag you up that ladder to the hay loft!" Thomas said, giving Richard a friendly push before heading out the door to get the first of the tables.

...

An hour or so later and things were looking good. The tables were laid out along one wall and the barn had been cleared as much as any barn could be, all that was needed were a few finishing touches which Daisy was seeing too, in terms of flowers picked from the garden. Richard had been left in charge of hanging up some decorations around the walls of the barn, as Thomas wasn't the best with ladders since his injured hand would cramp up every so often. Thomas therefore, had been handed a basket of flowers and was on his way up to the church in the village with them. Daisy had thankfully told him not to worry about arranging them just to put them in a vase until later. He found a few vases at the back of the church that were used for flower arrangements there. He filled it with water from the tap outside that is used for keeping the churchyard green in the summer months, and took them to the front of the church. He never set foot in a church unless he had too, he never felt quite comfortable in these places, like he was trespassing or something. There was too much judgement attached to places like this for men like him, so when he found himself standing at the front of the church caught up in some sort of day dream, it surprised him.

Richard had visited Downton and the surrounding areas enough now to know his own way to the village church. It was getting towards the mid-afternoon and neither of them had stopped for lunch yet. They had been so busy sorting out the barn and enjoying working alongside each other that they didn't really notice. Thomas had been taking a while, so Richard had been sent up to the church with lunch for the two of them by Daisy. Richard liked Daisy, she was a lot more open minded than a lot of kitchen staff he had encountered before and eager to learn and question things, which not many people were. She also didn't have a problem with leaving Thomas and him alone for a long time, knowing the type of people they are, which again most people felt uncomfortable with. Thomas seemed fond of Daisy too, in the same way that an older brother would care for a younger sister. Richard reached the church and walked up the path, past the gravestones in the churchyard. He was hoping to find the place deserted apart from Thomas of course. He walked inside slowly, seeing Thomas standing at the front of the church near the altar. For some reason he always felt like he should creep into a church, making as little noise or disturbance as possible.

Thomas was still in his daydream when he heard the echo of footsteps on the stone floor, he turned round to see Richard, who smiled and walked up the aisle towards him, the scene playing out before him, a realistic version of a dream he once had. "I bought lunch," Richard said, holding up the basket whilst approaching Thomas. "So you arranged them anyway. Nice work, you will have to add flower arranging to your list of many talents Thomas," he said, looking towards the vase of flowers, as he reached the front of the church also, placing the basket on the front pew. Thomas still hadn't said anything. Richard looked around the church- they were alone after all. Richard turned to face Thomas and took a small step towards him.

"Richard, don't," Thomas said, "Someone might come in."

"We will hear them if they do, can't hardly creep into a place which echoes with every step," Richard said, taking another step towards Thomas and leaning in slightly.

"It's not just that," Thomas said. "Someone might be watching us.  _ He _ might be," Thomas said looking upwards towards the ceiling.

"What? You mean God! I didn't know that you were religious Thomas."

"I'm not really, I don't think so anyway. It's just that if it is all real then I don't want to add any more to my list of sins, just in case. Its quite long already," Thomas said, feeling a bit stupid.

"Well, I'm not sure what I believe either to be perfectly honest. But I will say that I don't think that God has a problem with us, just most of his followers. After all, isn't man made in God's image or something? We can't be that bad then right?" Richard leaned in again. This time Thomas didn't try to stop him. Richard placed a hand on Thomas' hip, just as he knew Thomas liked it, and kissed him. Not a desperate or urgent type of kiss, but a gentle but meaningful one. Afterwards, when he leaned back and opened his eyes, he saw that Thomas was beaming.

"I never thought I'd get kissed in a church before," Thomas said in a whisper.

"Me neither. Felt good though right?" Richard said, his hand interlinking with Thomas'.

"Yeah. Felt nice," Thomas said simply.

"Shall we go and find somewhere to have lunch?"

"The river?" Thomas asked.

"Sounds perfect," Richard said, listening for a moment for anyone else who might be approaching the church, before the two of them walked hand in hand back down the aisle.


	6. 6

As they left the church, the afternoon sun warming their faces, Thomas, who was walking ever so slightly ahead, stopped and turned off the path and began to walk carefully through the rows of gravestones. Richard followed for a moment but hung back a little, when Thomas stopped in front of a grave. Richard was, however, close enough to see the name on the stone. The news of the tragic death of Lady Sybil Crawley, had reached Buckingham Palace and, like any news amongst the royal family, it inevitably trickled downstairs amongst the servants. Richard didn't know who she was at the time, so couldn't mourn her, but from the way Thomas was standing, and how he ran his hand through his raven black hair, it seems that he did know her enough to do so, even after all these years. Richard stepped a bit closer, so he was standing just behind Thomas. "It makes me angry sometimes. She was one of the best, one of the few out of everyone who was kind to me. Even though she was a different class to me, it never really felt that way. She was not really bothered by all those rules. Probably why she married the chauffeur" Thomas laughed a little at that last remark. "She was the best thing that came out of the war for me. Because of that we became equals, I had a friend, an ally. After I came back from France, I worked in the hospital with her where she was working as a nurse." Thomas paused for a moment, taking another shaky breath in before continuing. "Her daughter, Sybbie, is so much like her mother already. She will be just as independent when she's older. I can tell," Thomas said, smiling at that thought.

"I didn't have the pleasure of knowing her. But I reckon that if she were here now, she would be extremely proud of how you have turned out Thomas. You were lucky to know someone like her, even if it wasn't for as long as it should have been. Treasure those memories," Richard said, putting his arm around Thomas' shoulders, they turned away and headed back out of the churchyard.

...

Back at the farm and preparation for the wedding reception was going nicely. With tables set out along one wall, hay bales along the other and an open floor in the middle that had just been swept clean, this barn was looking a lot more like a dance hall and much less like a barn on a working farm. "Looking good," Richard says, from up in the hay loft where he had just finished putting a few odd pieces of clutter out of view.

"Thank you!" Thomas said.

"No, not you, I was talking about this place, but yes you do look perfect too," Richard said, playfully rolling his eyes as he climbed down the ladder.

"Richard you're covered in dust! Come here," Thomas said. Richard did indeed have dust, wood shavings and pieces of whatever else had been up in that loft for ages all over him.

"If you insist," Richard said with mock reluctance. Thomas ruffled his hair, which really wasn't looking like its usual perfectly neat self, kissed Richard on the cheek, then brushed down his chest and his back, his hands lingering on his chest after for a while.

"My goodness! This looks amazing!" Daisy exclaimed as she entered the barn, while Thomas had his hands on Richard's chest. Thomas was pleasantly surprised with himself, that he didn't immediately jump back a few feet when she came in.

"Glad you like it. I think it should serve its purpose very well," Thomas said, feeling satisfied with their afternoon's work.

"And there is plenty of room for dancing, which I hope Thomas will do a great deal of, apparently he is quite good," Richard said proudly.

"I know. He taught me some dances when I was younger," Daisy said.

"The grizzly bear," Thomas said, smiling as he remembered one of the happier moments of those earlier years. Daisy smiled too, though afterwards her smile faded a little.

"Are you alright Daisy? You look a bit pale," Richard said.

"Yes I'm fine, it's just that everyone will be looking at us, Andy and I when we dance and I've never been the centre of attention in my life. I'm usually invisible to most people. It doesn't help that I have no idea how to dance in a more romantic way. Never had a chance to learn really."

Thomas thought for a moment, wondering if the idea that just came into his mind was a good one or a step too far. "Would it help if I could demonstrate how?" he said.

"Thanks Thomas, but wouldn't it be a bit weird with us two slow dancing?" Daisy said.

"You're younger self would have jumped at the opportunity am I right?" Thomas said. Daisy went a little red when she thought back to when she fancied Thomas badly. "It's fine. Besides I wasn't thinking of demonstrating how with you," Thomas said, offering his hand to Richard. "Richard?"

"We are hardly experienced at this type of dancing either," Richard said, gladly taking Thomas' hand.

"You've never danced together?" Daisy asked, sounding a bit surprised.

"Well it's not exactly easy to find the opportunity," Thomas said. Thomas drew Richard closer to him, hesitating a little at the oddness of the situation, before putting his arms around Richard's waist. Richard responded by doing the same to Thomas. "There aren't exactly any steps as such," Thomas said to Daisy, whilst not taking his eyes of Richard. "It's more of a feeling of being close to someone you love, any footwork just sort of comes naturally." Daisy nodded, even though she knew neither of the men in front of her were paying the slightest bit of attention. She wondered if she should just slip out of the barn and leave them alone with each other. This did make her wonder what all the fuss was about, why laws had to be in place to stop this from happening. Just didn't make much sense, she thought. They aren't harming anyone. Wasn't the purpose of a law to protect people?

"I wish you could dance together at the wedding," she said eventually. Thomas and Richard stopped and let go of each other partly, at this. "Just thought you should know."

"That means a lot Daisy, thank you," Richard said.

"And I do feel a bit easier about the whole dancing thing too," she said. “Thanks.”

"You will be fine. Most of the time everyone else will be dancing anyway from what I have heard," Thomas said.

"You will probably be too distracted by your new husband to worry about what we are all doing," Richard said, as they walked out of the barn. Richard's head was full of the wealth of different emotions he had felt throughout the afternoon. This was absolutely the best wedding he had been invited to.


	7. 7

Richard was calmly wandering the grounds at Downton, the next morning looking for Thomas. As he was a guest, he had the luxury of being able to wake up without the sound of an alarm clock at 6am, and so therefore had slept in until around 9am, and was consequently feeling refreshed and relaxed from his previous day of travel, and wedding talk. He had spent most of the night with Thomas. Thomas didn't ask him and he didn't invite himself, Thomas just gave him a look before in the evening, whilst they all were sitting around the table eating their evening meal, that said it all. A subtle look in his eye, that no one, apart from Richard of course, would have otherwise noticed. He had reluctantly forced himself out of Thomas' bed a few minutes before 6am, not wanting to tempt fate another time. Due to waking up much later than everyone else, he didn't see Thomas at breakfast, which they had very kindly saved for him. He had expected Thomas to come back down from overseeing upstairs breakfast, but he didn't. He was later informed that Thomas had gone out to talk to the nanny, who was watching the children play outside. Naturally, saying Thomas was 'outside' was a bit of a vague description of his whereabouts, considering the size of Downton and its surrounding gardens, so therefore Richard had found himself walking up and down paths, across lawns and behind hedges, to try and locate the man.

He eventually came across an unusual sight. A pair of perfectly shined shoes, poking out from behind a gathering of shrubs, in one of the gardens around the back of the house.  _ Thomas?  _ Richard thought as he approached. "Good to see your chat with the children's nanny is going well," Richard said with sarcastic humour. Thomas, who was lying very still on the grass behind the shrubs, jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Richard," Thoams whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, I haven't seen you since last night,"

"Shhhh!" Thomas said, "You will blow my cover."

"What exactly, are you doing?" Richard said, confused.

"Hiding," Thomas said, quickly sitting up and pulling Richard down with him behind the shrubs.

"I see," Richard said, now lying on the ground next to Thomas. "From whom?"

"Master George and Miss Sybbie," Thomas said in a hushed tone.

"The children from upstairs?" Richard said, now matching Thomas' whispering voice.

"Yes, their nanny had to leave them for a bit, so asked me to watch them. They begged me to play hide'n'seek with them, how could I refuse?"

Richard chuckled, never in any of the many great houses he had visited had the butler been asked to watch the children, let alone agree to play with them. What was even better, was the fact that Thomas was taking the game seriously. "I see. You clearly are very competitive."

Thomas looked into Richard's eyes, enjoying watching the way that his eyelashes fluttered as he blinked subconsciously, "You know I like to win."

"I do," Richard said with a smile.

"Shhh!" Thomas said suddenly, “I think I heard someone.”

"Don't you think I should go?" Richard asked.

"You can't do that! You will draw attention to my hiding spot," Thomas said, urgently.

"But wouldn't you mind if they found us two together, children tend not to be very good at keeping secrets."

"No I don't mind, it's fine. Children don't judge like adults do so much and anyway, their parents know about me and I guess, about you anyway. Stay with me." Thomas said, putting his finger on Richard's lips. Only a moment later George came running across the lawn shouting excitedly, "I've found him!" to Sybbie who was just behind him. "Found you Mr Barrow!" George said, as he practically jumped onto Thomas, not really noticing the other man lying next to him.

Thomas and Richard sat up, as Thomas laughed and picked George up off him, he was a lot heavier than he was several years ago. "That was a lot quicker than last time, I'm going to have to get more inventive with my hiding places," Thomas said.

"Why are you hiding with someone else though?" Sybbie asked.

Thomas thought a moment, "He found me too. This is my dear friend Richard Ellis, he works at Buckingham Palace, though he's visiting me for a while," Thomas explained, wishing it was so easy to explain Richard to adults.

"Pleasure to meet you both," Richard said to both the children, giving a little nod like he would when greeting his superiors at the palace, which made both the children giggle.

"You work for the King?" Sybbie asked with amazement.

"Yes, I do. I am his valet," Richard said, not complicating matters by having to explain that he is in fact one of two valets to the King.

"And so the King let you come all the way from London just to see Mr Barrow?" George asked.

Richard and Thomas both smiled at each other for a moment, "In a manner of speaking, yes I suppose he did."

Sybbie thought for a moment, "That's nice. But you are still our friend though, right?"

"Of course!" Thomas said. He was always touched by the fact that the children were so fond of him. Thomas blinked rapidly, inwardly telling himself to not be so soft as to cry in front of the children. Thomas sat up a little more so he was on his knees. "Now, you two should go and find nanny. She was only gone for a few minutes, we don't want her worrying about you."

"We can play again soon though?" George asked.

"Yes I'd like that," Thomas said, as George gave him a hug, before running off with Sybbie to find nanny.

Richard sat down again, once they were alone once more. "They are really fond of you Thomas. Its lovely to see."

"You know, after I did this," Thomas said, looking at the scars on his wrists, "George was one of the first to come and see me. He didn't know what happened of course, he just thought I was ill, but he wanted me to feel better. During the weeks and months before, playing with the children was pretty much the only thing that made me feel alive."

"I know they have their own parents, but you're like a second father to them, and I can't see their fondness for you fading any time soon," Richard said, taking Thomas' hand and kissing his wrist, whilst looking into his eyes. Thomas smiled,  _ things were good. Yes, things were perfect. _


	8. 8

After an enjoyable morning playing with the children outside, Thomas had spent the rest of the day going about running Downton like he would any other day, so he was busy but not usually so. The wedding preparations were still going on though and going mostly smoothly apart from an incident with a jar of mixed fruit for the wedding cake that was smashed on the floor, sending Mrs Patmore into a frenzy. The situation was thankfully calmed when Richard offered to go and buy some more for her, as everyone else was too busy juggling daily chores with wedding preparation. By the evening though, Thomas was thankful that the day was almost over and he could soon relax and go to sleep, hopefully with Richard beside him. Entertainment for their evening meal had fallen to Richard who was enjoying telling those around him about goings on at Buckingham Palace, a subject that fascinated some more than others. Thomas didn't think it a coincidence that Mr Moseley had chosen this evening to come up to Downton for dinner, he was after all, the royal family's biggest admirer. He had hardly touched the food in front of him as he was too engrossed in every detail Richard was saying. Richard had told them some of these stories before on a previous visit, but no one seemed to mind hearing them again. "Everything sounds perfect there. I can't imagine anyone ever making any mistakes," Mr Moseley said.

Richard laughed, "No I'm afraid there have been several of those, I can assure you." Thomas saw him smile to himself at a memory, and caught Richard's eye long enough to ask him to tell them whatever he was privately thinking. "There was the time that a monkey escaped and hid itself somewhere within the palace," Richard began.

"My goodness, whatever was a monkey doing in the palace?" Anna Bates asked, shocked.

"Well a few years ago , a duke who had recently returned from a visit to India, paid a visit to his majesty, who had heard about the duke's explorations and was keen to see some of it himself. So the duke brought a monkey with him right into the drawing room! I suspect this monkey was trained as it sat perfectly happily on the duke's arm for a while. Unfortunately, the clatter of a serving platter startled the creature and it jumped off his arm, knocking over glasses of wine in the process and ran out of the room, through the door that had sadly just been opened by the footman who was coming in at the time. Every servant, no matter the rank, spent the whole day looking for the creature. The monkey was eventually found in the pantry, munching quite happily on vegetables," Richard said, leaning back in his chair folding his hands behind his head.

"I don't think we have had anything quite like that here Richard," Thomas said, after laughing at the story. "Though I think we can all say that some guests have been more 'memorable' than others, often for the wrong reasons."

"That must have been quite a day," Mrs Hughes said.

"Yes, that was certainly an interesting day. Mr Wilson was mortified at some of the scratches on the table and silverware. Oh! That reminds me," Richard exclaimed sitting upright again, "I have a wedding gift for you Daisy and Andy. I know the custom is to present them at the wedding reception, but I feel it may be better to give this to you both now, you'll understand when you see it. Excuse me," Richard said, getting up from the table and heading out the room and up the stairs.

"I wonder what is so special that it can't wait until later tomorrow?" Andy said. "Any idea Mr Barrow?"

"Nope, he's not said anything to me, though take it from me, Richard is great at choosing gifts," Thomas said, fiddling with his pocket watch. Richard returned only a couple of minutes later, a package in his hand, which he handed to Daisy. 

"It's delicate," Richard said. Daisy carefully opened the paper covering the box, after which she took the lid off, looked inside and gasped.

"Its beautiful," Daisy said. Andy looked just as shocked as everyone else, when she took the gift out of the box and placed it on the table. Immaculately polished and glinting in the lamp light, was a delicate silver butter dish. Complete with a rounded lid and small silver handles.

"How did you afford this?" Andy said, "Didn't steal it I hope? I mean it looks like it belongs in a palace."

Richard laughed, "Well, you are correct that I didn't pay for it, but I didn't steal it. And yes, it is from a palace. It hopefully doesn't look like it, but this one is actually slightly damaged. But I mean very slightly, only someone who had a keen eye for detail, or who is extremely fussy, would even notice. However, such a person is my superior. Mr Wilson, decided that this item, because of a small scratch, cannot possibly be used at breakfast again. He decided to replace it. I asked him if I could have it, to give as a wedding gift. I really did expect him to say no and to tell me not to be so stupid, but to my surprise he said that I could."

"So are you saying that the king has used this himself?" Mr Moseley asked.

"Yes he has," Richard said. A look of awe came over Mr Moseley, like he had just found the holy grail. Thomas smiled at Richard and rolled his eyes at Mr Moseley's reaction. He would have to make sure that the man didn't try and walk off with this gift.

"I see why you didn't want to give it to us tomorrow," Daisy said. "Not sure I know how to thank you."

“My invitation to your wedding is thank you enough," Richard said. "And yes I thought it best to give it to you both here, I wouldn't want anyone to steal it. Not that I'm saying any of your guests would do such a thing." Richard quickly added.

"No, I think we can all be trusted. There are no thieves here," Mr Bates said. "Well apart from him." He added, looking towards Thomas.

Thomas went a little red, "Oh him," Richard said looking at Thomas. "I think I can trust him." He said, winking at Thomas, causing Thomas to go a deeper shade of red.

...

Later on in the evening and everyone had gone home or turned in for the night. Richard, was lying on his bed waiting for everything to go silent outside in the corridor, and then waiting a little longer to make sure for certain, before he quietly opened his door and shut it behind him, and crept along the darkened hallway to Thomas' room. He gave three quick knocks, followed by a pause and a further single knock, trying to knock as quietly as he could but loud enough so that Thomas would actually hear him. He waited but there was no answer. He decided to enter anyway, shutting the door behind him. Richard looked towards the bed and smiled. Thomas was lying there still in his uniform, minus his shoes, fast asleep on top of the sheets, a clipboard underneath part of his face.  _ He must have been working late,  _ Richard thought. Despite desperately wanting to spend the night with Thomas again, Richard decided it would be unkind to wake him, so instead he carefully removed the clipboard from underneath Thomas, and placed it on the table next to the bed. He found a spare blanket and draped it over Thomas, before smoothing a few strands of hair that had fallen over Thomas' forehead, away from his eyes, and then kissing him gently on that same spot. Thomas smiled in his sleep. Richard turned off the lamp, before creeping out of the room again.


	9. 9

"Good morning darling!" Richard said, brightly as he walked into Thomas' room, the door being left ajar. Thomas, who was just doing up the last button on his shirt, turned around at hearing Richard's voice. Thomas hadn't been sure as to how smart he should be dressing for this wedding. He wouldn't normally put that much thought into it, but this wedding was different, for many reasons, so he decided to go a bit more formal. Richard liked this look on Thomas, smart but slightly disheveled. Thomas had his tie hanging loose around his neck, waiting to be done up,and his hair was missing its usual organised neatness, similar to how it looked after they had made love.

"You came in last night?" Thomas asked, as Richard kicked the door behind him softly shut, and kissed Thomas fondly.

"Mmm, I did," Richard said, between kisses.

"You should've woken me," Thomas said.

"I wanted to, but you looked like you could have done with the rest. I think you've been working harder than you've realised over the past few days. You slept well though?"

"Yes," Thomas said, blinking several times. He had been able to have a bit of a lie in, and as a result was still a little sleepy, in a pleasant sort of way. "Feels nice to wake at a more reasonable time. Shame we couldn't have taken advantage of the longer night though."

Richard leaned in close to Thomas so that Thomas' ear was tickled by Richard's breath when he spoke, "I'm sure we will find a moment to make up for it." Thomas really wanted that moment to be now, but the morning ahead of them had a tight schedule.

"Who's the flower for?" Thomas asked, changing the subject before he came to the point where he would be unable to resist temptation.

"Oh this! Yes, that's the other reason I'm here," Richard said, looking at the white rose surrounded by a few green leaves in his hand. "They were handing them around downstairs, it's for us to wear apparently. I picked one up for you."

"They will wilt in a few hours on us," Thomas said, the cynical side of him coming out for a moment.

"Yeah, but they will look good for a few hours first. First impressions are what people care about at weddings I think. After that, no one really cares how you look as the day goes on. May I?" Richard said, gesturing to Thomas with the flower and a safety pin.

"Sure," Thomas said, stepping a little closer to Richard again, and straightening out his jacket so Richard could pin the flower onto it. With Richard standing so close to him, Thomas found himself mesmerized by Richard's eyes. He couldn't help but admire Richard's soft eyelashes as they flicked up and down as his blinked subconsciously, and the perfect contours of his face and tanned skin. Richard looked up at Thomas for a split second, enjoying knowing that Thomas was watching him closely.

Soon though the moment was over, and Richard stepped back again. "Perfect," he said.

"Thank you!" Thomas said.

Richard laughed, "I meant the flower, but yes of course you are the picture of perfection too!" They both laughed at that, though Thomas' smile faded a moment or two later and he sat down on the edge of his bed, a small frown forming on his forehead.

"You're actually genuinely looking forward to today?" Thomas asked.

Richard sat next to him, "It is an unusual feeling I'll admit, but yes I am. Not so much about the wedding itself, but spending a whole day out in the world with you."

"As friends though, only as friends," Thomas said.

"To most other people yes, but we know different. Surely that is all that matters? We have to take what we can Thomas," Richard said softly. "Besides, I want to see you dance, looking forward to that," Richard said in a brighter tone.

"I'm not sure I will," Thomas said.

"I reckon you will be asked so many times, you will have to say yes. Women like that tall, dark and handsome look you have going on Thomas."

Thomas smiled in spite of himself. "In that case I'm sure you will be too busy dancing to watch me. You're a new face around here, and a gorgeous one at that."

"Well in that case, we are both done for!" Richard said, in mock defeat, but pleased to see that this made Thomas smile again. "I promise you though, I will find a way to dance with you tonight Thomas. It is simply essential that I do."

...

Thomas and Richard arrived together at the church just before midday. As befitting the idyllic image of weddings that most have in their minds, the sky was a deep blue and the sun shone brightly above them, not a cloud in the sky. They had agreed between them beforehand, that Thomas would introduce Richard to anyone who didn't know him, as a friend of the Downton staff. It wasn't ideal, but it was the best way to avoid any unwelcome questions. It felt a little strange walking down the aisle next to Richard, towards the front of the church, where they met an obviously nervous Andy. Thomas, being the best man, would be sitting at the front of the church for a change. Thomas and Richard shared a look as they sat down in the front pew. Only a few feet to their left, was where they had kissed a few days ago. Those memories suddenly made any doubts and bad feelings disappear. Thomas looked towards Andy who was fidgeting nervously with his buttons, "Deep breath," Thomas said as he got up and walked over to Andy, who smiled at Thomas' words. "I'm probably the worst person to be standing next to you right now, I have literally no clue as to the right things to say. Pretty much everyone else here is more experienced at this stuff than me," Thomas said.

"I appreciate your honesty Thomas," Andy said. "Most people have no clue as to what to say either, but they never say that. In an odd sort of way, that is kinda reassuring."

Thomas laughed a smile lightning up his face, "Well, I'm glad my uselessness is actually rather useful."

It was Andy's turn to laugh now, "Well you have taken my mind off my worries, thank you." Thomas returned to his place next to Richard, just as the music of the organ started and the congregation stood.

"Well done," Richard whispered in Thomas' ear. They turned to look down the church as Daisy entered the church, accompanied by Mr Mason, who was giving her away. He had become like a father to her, over the years, so that was no surprise. Even though Thomas had no eye for women, he could see that Daisy looked beautiful. No one of their class could afford a wedding dress of the standard that people like Lady Mary or Lady Edith would wear, but the bird egg blue dress she was wearing, along with the flowers in her hair, made her look radiant. It was very hard to imagine that this was the same Daisy who he had seen covered in dirt from a long day's worth of chores at Downton years before. It was clear, from Andy's expression, that he thought the same.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..." The vicar began. The words were predictable to anyone who has ever been to a wedding before, let alone multiple ones, so Thomas found himself phasing out, only half listening to what was being said. He was more occupied by the fact that Richard's arm kept brushing his, every time he moved. He found himself concentrating on that more than the service in front of him. He decided he could feel guilty about that later. As best man, he probably should be paying more attention, since he has an active role to play in this ceremony, but he was now getting distracted by the scent of Richard's cologne.

Richard suddenly nudged him, "Soon be your turn," he said.

"What?" Thomas said, jumping out of his daydream and completely misinterpreting what Richard was saying.

"The rings. Best man," Richard said quietly.

"Oh right, um yes," Thomas said, feeling like a bit of an idiot.

...

The ceremony from then on all went as planned, Thomas, playing his best man part perfectly. He had a sudden moment of panic when he thought he had forgotten the ring but found it in his other pocket. After the  _ I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride  _ part, which was always the part Thomas and Richard found the hardest to bare in the past, and the congregation had cheered the happy couple out of the church into the early afternoon sunshine, Thomas had found himself separated from Richard, who had been captured, making small talk with several other wedding guests. They were lucky to have a photographer at the wedding, it had been the gift from Lord and Lady Grantham, so everyone was busy trying to get the perfect photo as well. Thomas wanted to be with Richard for just a moment but was unable to catch his eye in the chaos, as he wandered off round the side of the church. He did however, catch Daisy's eye who seemed to understand what Thomas wanted. "Mr Ellis, can you fetch Mr Barrow? We need him for the photo," Daisy called over to Richard, who seemed only too glad to get away.

Richard found Thomas round the back of the church away from the bustle of people. "Well that was the best wedding I've been to," Richard said, strolling over to Thomas, hands in his pockets.

"Still had those moments though didn't it?" Thomas said, looking down at the ground.

"When they kissed Thomas, I let myself remember ours. It was practically in the same spot." Richard said, taking a step closer but keeping a moderate distance between him and Thomas, in case anyone should come.

"I did the same," Thomas quietly admitted. They stood there in silence for as long as they dared.

"We should go, they are expecting you for the group photo," Richard said.

"Wait," Thomas said, taking Richard's hand as he turned away. "Today was the best I could hope for. I never imagined I could get any joy out of sitting through another wedding but I was wrong."

"Likewise Mr Barrow," Richard said, turning back to face Thomas briefly, hands still joined. "If anyone else had asked me to a wedding, I would have had a hard time accepting the invitation. You though... well you make even the hardest situations perfect. And I can’t resist you." They let go of each other as they walked back round to the front of the church, both hoping that at one point, during the rest of the day's celebrations, that they would get their dance.


	10. 10

Later that day and the wedding reception was well underway in one of the barns at Mr Mason's farm. Thomas knew most of the faces there, most were people who worked at Downton or who lived in the village nearby. It seemed to him though that they had invited many others who Thomas didn't know. He assumed some must be Andy's family or perhaps friends of friends. Either way, it was a big gathering that made for a lively celebration. Refreshments had been laid on with the help of Mrs Patmore. Mr Mason had been cooking for several days as well. And as every good party should, there was a plentiful supply of alcohol, from beer to fruit punch and some rather strong cider made out of apples from the farm. They had a record player which was providing most of the music, although a piano had been brought down from the servants hall,  _ the one Jimmy used to play so well, _ Thomas thought for a fleeting moment. Thomas had been roped into dancing with several of the women there, some he knew and some he didn't but he danced all the same. He enjoyed it as he was good at it, but also because he knew that he was being watched by Richard. He may have been showing off a little as a result. Richard had been asked to dance by several women too. Richard was handsome, and as far as everyone else could see, single. Thomas enjoyed knowing that despite some rather obvious flirtations, Richard was not interested in any other person in that room other than him. The looks Richard gave Thomas over the shoulders of their respective dancing partners, confirmed this.

Richard was sitting on one of the hay bales that bordered the edge of the barn, fruit pie in one hand, which he made a mental note of to get the recipe for, and a glass in the other. It turned out that enjoying a wedding reception was quite hard work after several hours of dancing. He and Thomas seemed to be quite popular dance partners. Thomas was dancing with one of the maids, and Richard was enjoying watching him so relaxed. He usually was around him, when they were alone together, but it was nice to see in this setting. "Had enough dancing Richard?" Daisy said, sitting down heavily next to him.

"It isn't as easy as it looks is it?" Richard said.

"Thomas seems to make it look so, he always was the best at dancing at any party we had."

"I think he enjoys it because he's good at it," Richard said light heartedly to Daisy, but without looking away from Thomas whilst doing so.

Daisy followed his gaze. Even though it was foolish of her back then, she could understand why her younger self, fancied Thomas. Even as he has gotten older, he is still charmingly good looking.  _ It was his perfectly black hair and those lovely structured cheekbones, _ she thought to herself, before reminding herself that she was very recently married and shouldn't be thinking such things. "He looks good whilst dancing too," she said.

Richard smiled in agreement. "My thoughts exactly," he said, not worrying about being overheard as everyone was too busy dancing or drunk to notice. "Some however, are not so blessed with their dancing skills," Richard said with a chuckle, looking over in the direction of Mr Moseley who was doing something that Richard supposed could maybe be counted as dancing.

Daisy laughed too, "Oh dear! I'm afraid he must have had much more of Mr Mason's cider than is good for him. I'm even more grateful to you and Thomas for the little dancing lesson we had a few days ago."

"Glad we could be of use Daisy, we enjoyed it."

Daisy took another glass of punch from the table beside her. "You know, Thomas is a better person because of you. He had become more friendly before he met you but I'm not sure that even then, he was happy. He is now I think. There was something missing before and you seem to have completed him." Richard said nothing, taking the words in. "Sorry! was that too emotional. I guess weddings make me so."

"No not at all. I just...we, that is Thomas and I, are so used to keeping our relationship private that I've never really had anyone talk about us to me. It's refreshing to hear," Richard finished his glass. "I think he has completed me too."

"I'm free now!" Thomas said with mock relief, as he came over to where Daisy and Richard were sitting. "Even though you've been here the entire evening, it feels like I haven't seen you Richard."

"Your dancing talents were much in demand I see," Richard said, shifting over so Thomas could sit next to him.

"Did you like what you saw?" Thomas said, in a flirtatious tone. He wouldn't normally speak like this so out in the open but perhaps the drink had made his words looser.

"Very much so," Richard replied, matching Thomas' tone.

Daisy giggled, "I think I'll go and find Andy. You two obviously need some time together. It is dark outside now," she said, before getting up and walking off.

Richard looked towards the open barn door, "It is indeed dark outside now," he said putting his glass down and standing up. "I think we have done enough socialising. Shall we get out of here Mr Barrow?"

"Absolutely Mr Ellis," Thomas said, quickly getting up and following Richard out of the barn and into the night air.

...

Once out of the light that streamed from the open barn doors, Richard took Thomas' hand and led him round the side of the barn. The music from inside was a little muffled, but still loud enough to hear. They stopped and Thomas took a quick glance around him before the two of them joined in a heated kiss. They both seemed to have the same intentions at the exact same time, causing them both to fall against the outside of the barn with a bump. Neither gave a second thought to several dozen people being just the other side of the wooden barn wall, as Thomas grabbed the back of Richard's shirt collar, whilst Richard's hands ran frantically over Thomas' back. After a while, they broke apart for air. "I've been wanting to do that all evening whilst watching you dance," Richard gasped between quick breaths. He could feel the heat coming off the both of them, pressed up against the wall, a contrast to the cooler air around them.

"I've been wanting to dance with you from the moment the music started playing," Thomas said, trying and failing to slow his heart rate so he could actually hear what Richard was saying.

Richard pushed Thomas back slightly, so he could get away from the wall. "I did promise you a dance," Richard said, holding out his hand to Thomas.

"Here?" Thomas asked.

"Why not? Would be better with the music I reckon," Richard said. Thomas took his hand, and slid his other hand around Richard's waist, pulling the two closer together. The half moon came out from behind the clouds briefly, before being covered again, illuminating the two men for a few seconds.

"Tango?" Thomas asked.

"Sure, though I have no clue how to start so you lead," Richard said, laughing. "You danced this before?"

"Yeah, at the club you rescued me from. Though this will end better." Thomas waited until the music picked up pace a little, and the two started dancing. Not always in time, and not graceful as the uneven farmyard ground beneath their feet made it hard to dance properly, but with each stumble or toe treading they laughed as their spirits rose in this rare but precious moment that not many men like them could ever get to experience. They slowed eventually until they just swayed to the music. Thomas closed his eyes as his heart rested half against the side of Richard's head and half on his shoulder. He felt Richard sigh deeply, as they relaxed. They knew they would have to move eventually, but right now they both wanted to stay like this forever.

...

"Where did Thomas and Richard get to? I thought they just went out for a little fresh air?" Andy said to Daisy as they slowly danced as the party began to die down.

"I think they needed to get out of here. They hadn't really had any time together for the whole reception," Daisy said.

"Okay... _ oh, _ " Andy said, feeling a little awkward. Daisy rolled her eyes and chuckled, she had hoped that they would have taken her hint.


	11. 11

The cool, but refreshing night air gently brushed through the trees that lined a narrow farm track leading away from the barn where the wedding reception was coming to an end. A barn owl sat overseeing the night, perched on one of the highest branches of an old oak tree. It would have stayed there for most of the night, watching for any signs of moment in the fields below, had it not been for the sound of two men approaching along the track below it. The noise, however small, disturbed its night vigil and the owl silently flew off to watch the night elsewhere.

Thomas led Richard by the hand towards a smaller and most certainly less tidy barn on the other side of the farm. They had spent a while dancing outside the wedding reception, but had to get away when people started to leave the party, disturbing their perfect moment. Thomas had stumbled across this place years ago, before he met Richard, when he spent his half days on his own, wondering and exploring. As far as he could tell, this place wasn't really used anymore, or at least not very frequently. So it was perfect for a couple whose relationship could only thrive unseen in the shadows. "Shh," Thomas said to Richard as they approached the barn, Thomas putting his finger to his own lips; a gesture that reminded them both of the first night they spent together in York.

"Thomas, you're making me feel like we are sneaking away like a thief in the night," Richard whisphered, still holding Thomas by the hand.

Thomas smiled and turned tho Richard, the moonlight illuminating his face, "Well, you did steal my heart."

Richard rolled his eyes and smirked, "Really Thomas?"

Thomas tried the door, happy to find that there still was no lock on it and that the bolt wasn't too rusted up, "Mmm, really," he said slowly. The door opened and Thomas pulled Richard inside. It was completely dark, apart from a few beams of moonlight glinting softly in through a few holes in the roof and walls, creating spotlights on the floor. Thomas though, had no intention of dancing. As soon as he had closed the door behind them, he jumped on Richard, causing them to crash together with an explosion of desire, the two men stumbling backwards towards the wall, where Richard found himself in a wonderful situation where he couldn't kiss the man he loved quick enough.  _ Thomas was intoxicating, _ Richard thought, though he didn't even seem able to think. His eager lips and tongue exploring his mouth, constantly wanting more and more. His hands in his hair, then moving down his back to his waist. Thomas was having similar thoughts, everything he wanted in a person was part of Richard. The musty, damp smell of the barn didn't phase him, as his breathing was quickening, sending a rush through his body, as Richard gripped the back of his neck, keeping them both pressed close together. Richard was already making light work of loosening Thomas' shirt and belt buckle. "Ladder?" Thomas asked, after breaking away from their frantic kisses momentarily, looking to the ladder leading up to a small loft in the barn.

"Mmm," Richard murmured, right into Thomas' mouth as he kissed him again. Thomas took this response as a yes and wasting no time whatsoever, Thomas soon found himself one step up the ladder, though the wrong way round for climbing the thing, with his back leaning against the ladder and Richard now covering Thomas' neck and collar bone in small sweet kisses. They could have stayed like this, though they both had all night so, they had to reluctantly leave each other alone for the time it took for them both to climb up the ladder into the loft above. Thomas went first and stumbled over the top rung of the ladder, landing rather ungracefully onto the uneven wooden floor. Richard, who wasn't far behind him, also stumbled into the loft, his foot catching the top of the ladder, making it wobble for a moment. Thomas was too distracted to care, though it would have created a problem if that ladder had fallen. Thomas barely had time to catch his breath before Richard attacked his mouth with his lips once more, leaning over Thomas slightly as Thomas was half sitting, half lying against something, though he didn't notice what. During sometime between climbing up the ladder and becoming tangled together like they were, they had both lost their shirts. Thomas couldn't get enough of the feeling of Richard's bare skin against his. It wasn't long after that all garments were lost from their respectives owners, strewn across the floor. And as his left leg wrapped itself around Richard's behind, and Richard's hand was making its way up along the inside of Thomas' thigh, Thomas knew why there was never a chance of him becoming an alcoholic as there were many ways to become totally intoxicated, and this was by far the best one.

...

Thomas woke that morning to the faint embers of light shining in through the gaps in the barn roof, signalling the beginning of a new day. He was lying on his front, his head resting on Richard's shirt. Richard had his lower left leg lying across Thomas' right leg, his head nuzzled into the crook of Thomas' neck, just above his right shoulder. Richard's arm draped lazily across Thomas' back below his shoulder blades. Thomas could feel the warmth of Richard's breathing against the back of his head, which sent a pleasant shiver down his spine as he turned his head slowly to look out over the barn below them. The birds were tweeting their dawn chorus outside already, though Thomas suspected it was still early. A lone pigeon sat on a beam not too far away from him. It was joined a moment later by another pigeon who started cooing, warbling and bowing in a courtship display. The pigeon didn't seem interested in its companion in the slightest and flew off suddenly to the other end of the barn, leaving the other pigeon alone and disappointed at being rejected. Rejection was a feeling Thomas knew all too well, until recently of course. "All things good come to those who wait," he whispered, before realising he must either be more tired than he realised considering he was talking to a bird.

Richard had been awake for a little while, though had decided to pretend otherwise as he was too happy in his current position and didn't want to disturb this moment any sooner than he had too. He heard Thomas whisper something, to himself maybe? Thomas must have felt his change in breathing, as he stirred and turned himself lazily to face Richard for the first time since falling asleep. "Morning sunshine," Thomas said happily.

"Hmm, that's a new one. Never been called that before," Richard said, brushing a stray hair away from Thomas' forehead.

"I could call you many things. Sunshine, sweetheart, darling, love," Thomas said quietly, before kissing Richard gently on the lips.  _ This was just perfect, _ he thought.

"Who were you talking to earlier?" Richard asked.

"Um, the pigeon over there. It looked lonely," Thomas said, feeling a little silly.

Richard chuckled, "You're adorable."

Thomas looked at his pocket watch, that was by some miracle still in his jacket pocket, "Almost five in the morning," he said.

"Well I could do with time slowing down. Do you think they will notice that we didn't go back to Downton last night?" Richard asked.

"Probably," Thomas replied, without much of a care.

"You don't mind?" Richard asked, his hand playing over Thomas' upper back.

"No," Thomas said. "Odd that. But nice. I don't have to tell them anything."

"You've changed," Richard said. "When we first met you seemed to get scared by your own shadow."

This was something normally Thomas would take offence to, if anyone other than Richard, had said it. "I was, but I don't have to watch my back all the time anymore."

"I don't want you to leave you know," Richard said, pulling Thomas closer again.

"I don't want to go either," Thomas said. He sighed, "but I would like to have a job to go back to. If I go soon I can be there for upstairs breakfast."

Richard propped himself upon his elbow, though still lying on his side. "Well, we will have to leave together. We still have this evening, I don't have to go until tomorrow morning."

Thomas smiled as he caught Richard's drift, "I like this place. We could come back here."

"That would be perfect Mr Barrow," Richard said at almost the same time as kissing Thomas once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for everyone who has taken the time to read and review this story. I hope you all enjoyed it.
> 
> I will start uploading the story that follows this one soon :)


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